


Another Stony Path

by TheGriefPolice



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers AU, M/M, Orphaned Tony Stark, Poor Tony Stark, Private School, Protective Steve Roggers, Robotics, Slow Burn Relationship, Tony Gets Taken In, Tony-centric, Young Tony Stark, family by choice, more tags to come, rich Steve Rogers, young Steve rogers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-10-08 10:39:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10384815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGriefPolice/pseuds/TheGriefPolice
Summary: Tony Stark is alone. He has no money, no family, and no place to go. After another shitty foster home, Tony decides to take his chance on his own. His genius mind only takes him so far when every part he gets in from junkyards and trash piles and a small roll of tools he's gathered after years.Steve Rogers may seem like he has everything--rich father, several great friends, a school more expensive than some people's homes--but all is not as it seems. His father wants him to own and run a company that specializes in technology--the one thing Steve hates more than bullies. But Steve wants to be an artist, not a technician.What happens when these two worlds collide and a mutually beneficial relationship starts to from?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just so y'all know, this is an AU where Tony was the broke sickly kid and Steve is the rich one. Howard (who is originally Tony's dad) is now Steve's! Because fuck logic, that's why!

Tony rested his head against the side of the house after being chased off once more. It was hard for him to find parts and the only way he could with his current position would be to take them off of whatever people left out. 

Most people, however, didn't appreciate some skinny little teen digging through their trash cans in the back of their house. It had ended with brooms, and sticks, and rakes more than once. Even a shotgun, when he hadn't been thinking and decided to wear all black. He was lucky he didn't end up with another hole in his body.

He tried to let his heartbeat settle back down before walking back to the trailer park he currently called home. Except, with most homes, you got to stay for more than a few months. Tony was not that lucky.

He currently lived with the Shmit family in a two room, one bath trailer on the outskirts of town. Along with him were the two overweight, pains-in-the-ass Mr. and Mrs. Shmit, who did little more than sit on their ass and eat junk food in front of daytime television. Then was Mic, their buffed-up piece of work son who didn't take kindly to Tony. He often left Buck, their very large, very intimidating, bulldog outside when Tony was late getting home.

All of Mic's abuse went unnoticed by the older Shmits, and Tony, after going through this for so long, wasn't about to open his mouth. Even when the older boy grabbed a friend and cornered him in a janitor's office at school, turning him into little more than a purple bag of flesh. But they hadn't broken any bones and Tony's simple excuse had been, "I fell on my way home."

He ran up the street, breathing heavily as he turned right and then left, straight out of the suburbs and to the less liked part of town. His feet pounded on the pavement that was little more than rocks held together by some form of magic (nothing else would explain how a road that old was still in one piece), kicking up small stones and back pack giggling with each step. His heart pounded painfully in his chest as he took a final turn onto a gravel road and dashed through the park of sleeping trucks and scattered bikes.

He stopped when he saw the familiar glow of the trailer, leaning against Mr. Shmit's unused truck until he could gather his breath. After a few minutes of observing the house and breathing deeply, he made way for the front door.

The Shmits very rarely noticed when he came home late, their eyes glued to whatever dumb show was on. But tonight, as Tony walked in the door, he was greeted by the large figure of Mr. Shmit, fat rolling under his very worn white shirt.

"Boy! I've told you 'bout comin' in late!" He bellowed, voice carting the smell of stale chips and beer. Tony swore he could see pieces of something stuck between the man's teeth and shuddered. "And here you are, bringin' a bunch'a shit in my house again!"

Tony's brow furrowed as spit landed on his face. He'd been in this position before and knew that it was better to just let these people yell as they wished and then scream at them in your head later.

"Daddy!" Mic yelled from the other room. His thick accent was even deeper than his dad's,   
and anytime he spoke Tony wished he could punch him in the face. The boy came out of their shared room holding something. (And by shared, I mean Mic gave Tony the floor by the window to sleep on and Mic got the rest of it.) "Look'it this."

Mic handed over a small device Tony was making: a cell phone. He wasn't going to get one any other way and he needed one to make it out of this stupid town. "The fuck is this, boy?" He yelled, glaring over it.

"I bet it's some device to call the taliban or somethi' like that in Afghanistan!" Mic yelled.

Mr. Shmit's face sank in a glare, something Tony didn't think was possible. "You tryin'ta undo our brave men and 'emon's efforts!" It wasn't a question, it was hardly even a sentence. All the sounds were pushed together as the man's voice got louder and louder. "Are you one of them soviots! Breaking laws!"

"I wasn't doing anything illegal!" Tony tried to defend himself, knowing better. But he wasn't one to sell out his country now or ever. And even if he did, what kind of information would a teenager from no-one-gives-a-fuck-ville have to offer?

"Do I look like I fucking care!" Mr. Shmit yelled, which got the dog in the back yard barking loudly. "I'm sick of your damn shit cluttering up my house! Take all of your fuckin' communist crap and get!"

He threw the small device with all the force he could pull (which was a lot) and hit the boy square in the chest. Tony had to stop from letting out a cry of pain and settled for a grunt as tears threatened to push over. The makeshift phone hadn't been, by any means, light. It was made with whatever Tony could find as scrap, limiting him severely. The land to his chest had defiantly done some damage.

Tony looked at the man, red face. He was mad. No, mad wasn't even a start. He was furious. Fuming. Livid. Wrathful. Every word he could think of and then some. He walked into Mic's room, stuffing the open spots of his already-mostly-full backpack with what few clothes he had, a pair of socks, and his small set of tools before walking back out to the living room and opening the door.

The three Shmits were watching him the whole time, and as Tony opened the door he turned back and said, "You know, they put one too many letters in your last name." At the confused look on their faces, Tony grinned. "Just take out the 'm' and you have what you really are. The shits."

He dashed out the door before anyone had a chance to grab him and drag him back inside and took off down the gravel road. His chest pounded and hurt more than should ever allow a person to run as fast as he was, but the adrenaline high pushed the pain away.

He ran to the only part of town he really knew, settling down in an alleyway with his things at his side. Tony watched as car after car passed, the night growing darker and the moon high above him. He wasn't a religious person by any means. But that night he found comfort in a small prayer he sent out.

Please help.


	2. Chapter 2

He was looking up for so long, he didn't even notice the difference as his eyes closed, opening only as a car pulled by, backfiring and scaring him right out of his skin. His heart raced in his chest as the car pulled over, the lights flickering before the engine gave out and the lights were on battery power.

Tony could hear as a man got out of the car, slamming the door closed and walking to pop his hood. "Fuck. Just great." He moaned as the distinctive sound of a hood being set in place by a bar and the man coughed.

Adjusting his position first, Tony stood up and peered around the corner at a tall, mostly buff, but not overly so, man with blonde hair as he sighed over the engine. His right hand was scratching at his neck as his left fumbled with a phone.

"You okay?" Tony found himself asking.

The man looked up, his blue eyes bouncing back head lights and making them gleam on his face. "Oh, yeah man. Sorry, didn't know you were there."

Tony shrugged and came out from behind the corner a little more. "What happened?"

Now it was the man's turn to shrug. "Not sure. It was smoking a lot though, so I pulled over and now I think I blew something." He ran a hand through his blonde hair and looked down at his phone. "You think Triple A will be out here in time to get me home before curfew?"

"Triple A doesn't come out here this late." Tony came all the way out and stood next to the car, peering under the hood. He looked back up at the man with questioning eyes. "It's got to be past midnight. When's your curfew?"

"Uh, two." He moved his shirt sleeve back and revealed a Rolex before sighing and covering it once more. "Which is a little over an hour away and I live forty minutes from here."

Tony felt kind of bad for the guy as he glanced over the engine again, taking in the whole of it. "I can fix it for you, it's just and overheating radiator."

"A what?" The man asked.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Radiator. It's the thing that keeps stuff cool in your engine." He let out a sigh as the man still looked confused. "Do you have some water and an old rag?"

The man waved his finger for a second before returning to the side of the car and swinging the door open. He slammed it shut once more and came back with two bottles of water. "Will this work?"

"It'll be enough to get you home." Tony said, taking the water and looking up at the man. "What about the rag?"

"Oh, uh," The man opened his jacket and searched around until he found a white handkerchief and handed it over. "That's about all I have."

"The oil may ruin it, are you sure you want me to use it?" Tony asked, glancing at the single nicest piece of cloth he'd seen in his life.

"Yeah, it's fine. Got dozens of them." He said.

Tony tried to not throw up at that thought. Someone with that much money, driving a car this nice, with a suit that easily costed as much as every piece of clothing he'd had his whole life and then some, that was unbelievable. He reached out with a wince, forgetting until now about the bruise he was sure was forming on his chest.

"You okay there, man?" The blonde asked as Tony took the handkerchief.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." He took the cloth and put it over a small knob, twisting it slowly until a pop and sizzle could be heard. Tony lifted the cloth and the cap in it. "Hold this for a sec, and be careful, it's hot."

The man nodded and took the cap. "So what's your name, anyway?"

"Anthony Stark. Friends call me Tony." He said, opening one of the bottles after checking that it was purified. He poured it in slowly and looked up at the man. "What about you?"

"Steve Rogers." He smiled. "Good to meet you Tony. I'd shake your hand, but you seem to be busy."

Tony let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I'm a little tied up." He emptied the first bottle and crushed it, screwing the lid on and shoving it into his cargo pants before opening and dumping the next.

"You seem to know your way around an engine." Steve smiled. 

"A little." Tony laughed as the last of the water dripped into place and he crushed it, joining it with the other in his pocket. "Cap, please."

Steve held out the piece of cloth and Tony took it, screwing the cap back on before holding up the ruined cloth. "Sorry about that."

"Small price to pay for keeping my ass for another night." Steve took the cloth and shoved it into his pocket.

"This will get you home, but once you get there, drain the water into a bucket over the grass and refill it with radiator fluid. A quart should be enough." Tony knocked the brace out of place and let the hood slam close. "You'll want to make sure you don't have a leak first, though. It looks like a hose may be lose or something."

Steve stared at the boy as he wiped the grime off his hands and onto his already dirty pants. "How do you know so much for a kid. You can't be more than--what?--sixteen, seventeen at most?"

Tony glared at the blonde man. "Yeah, so? Age doesn't mean anything. Most of the adults I know don't know the difference between a carburetor and a coffee maker."

Steve let out a laugh. "Fair enough." He let out a sigh and looked down the road as a car passed. "I better get going."

Tony's eyes went wide as he realized it was a cop car and ducked slightly. "Yeah, me too." He rushed back to where he had been sitting around the corner and picked up his back pack, slinging it over his shoulder and walking back to the car. "Was nice meeting you, man."

"You too." Steve was about to jump back into his car when he noticed the way the kid hunched his shoulders and how his clothes didn't fit quite right around his narrow frame. Something in the back of his head went off. "Hey kid, were you going from here?"

Tony's mind raced for an answer. If this guy found out he was a run away, there was no saying what would happen. "Uh, somewhere."

"Not an answer." Steve said with a forceful, yet still somehow gentle voice. "Where're you going?"

"Just a place." Tony said. He really wished this guy would stop asking questions. He didn't think helping a guy would get him interrogated. 

"Well, do you want a ride to this place?" Steve asked, glancing the boy up and down before leaning against the hood of his car. "I promise I'm not a freak."

Tony let out a sigh. "Look, I know you mean well, but I don't need your help. I've been doing just fine on my own, thanks." With that, he turned and began to walk off.

Steve reached out and grasped his arm before the kid could walk off. "Hey, look, I'm not trying to give you a pity party, okay. I'm just saying that you look like you could use a place to stay and we have an open room. That's all."

Tony let out a grunt as he fell against the wall. The pain in his chest flared up again as he'd been adjusting the backpack, stretching muscles he didn't know he had until they hurt. He tried to wave Steve's hand off his arm to grasp his chest. It was getting hard to breath.

"Hey, Tony. Hey man, you gotta tell me what's wrong." Steve held the boy's shoulders to pin him to the wall and keep him from falling to the ground. His voice was an odd kind of assertive, the kind that said he was in charge but wasn't gonna boss him around like a douch.

Tony let out another grunt and a whine of pain, gasping for breath at this point. The pain was becoming too much, and he could feel as his body turned off to fight it. He was falling through air and drowning at the same time, unable to catch his breath as his heart thumped in his ears, all sounds lost to his blood's roar. He took in one final breath and then the world went black.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, Tony." A voice said. He could feel tapping on the side of his face lightly, and groaned to have it stop. "Tony, man, you gotta wake up."

The small slaps on his face wouldn't stop, so he waved his hands and closed his eyes tightly.

"No, not gonna stop. Come on." A few more slaps from the voice and Tony opened his eyes to a crimson colored lamp above him. "There you are."

Tony twisted his head, eyes squinting due to the light, looking for the source of the voice. "Steve?"

The blonde haired guy smiled and nodded. "Yeah, good to see you back in the land of the living." He smiled.

Tony rubbed his eyes and moved to sit up, the pain returning immediately and sending him back to the bed with a groan.

"Whoa, stay down." A different voice said as a large hand was placed gently on his chest. "Are you awake?"

Tony nodded and closed his eyes against the light. 

"What's your name, son?" The voice was heavier, deeper than Steve's but had the same sort of tone. It was familiar in an odd sort of way. Tony was sure he'd heard it before.

"Anthony--" The words felt weird on his lips and took a lot more breath than he thought possible. "Anthony Stark."

"Tony." Steve's voice said.

"Alright, Tony, you're doing great. You still with us?" He could hear shuffling around and something rolling.

"Yes'sir." Tony nodded lightly, cracking his eyes open to prove it. A large, tall man sat on a chair on the side of the bed, sporting a goatee and a button-up shirt.

"Ah, there are your eyes." The man gave a small smile under his whiskers and looked up at Steve. "Where'd you pick him up, again?"

"South part of town." Steve said with a forced smile at Tony.

"And what were you doing down there?" The man asked as he dug through a cart in front of him. 

"Nothing, dad. Come on, would you please just help this kid and stop pestering me." He held his hands out in front of him towards Tony, showing off his ample amount of muscle.

The man rolled his eyes and pulled something out of the cart. It was a small bottle with writing on it that Tony couldn't read. "Alright son, this is going to help. You took a blow to your chest and it seems to have messed with your already weak heart, so this will help relax it and then we can move from there once it finds it's rhythm again."

"Don't have a," Breath in. Breath out. "Weak heart."

"CAT scan begs to differ, son." The man pulled a needle out of a sleeve and stuck it into the top of the bottle. "This is going to make you very tired, but don't try to stay awake. You need to sleep and rest."

Tony shook his head, already too tired to talk anymore. He felt a jab into his arm and fell asleep almost immediately, only awake enough to hear, "He'll be okay, right?"

The next time he woke up, he was alone and very alert. His chest still hurt, but that didn't stop him from pushing up on the bed and sitting up. A look around told him he wasn't in a hospital, which was weird. But it wasn't some back-street thing either, with machines that Tony had never even dreamed of seeing.

He hopped off the bed that he now noticed was little more than some nice padding on a table and walked over to a robotic arm hanging from a large base. Wires twisted around the three joins it had, seeming to fly in every way before meeting back again at the arm's frame. He reached out and poked at what would be the hand, making it sway lightly.

"It's got a full capability of movement." A voice said from behind him.

Tony spun around, his heart skipping a beat (which he wasn't sure was an exaggeration anymore). "What?"

The man from last night was standing by a door, leaning against the frame and watching as the boy moved. "The robot. More capable than the human arm."

Tony's eyes went back to the bot and he nodded. "Oh, yeah. Noticed." He forced a smile as the man seemed to chuckle. "Though, it doesn't look like it's working yet."

The man lifted his eye brows with a smirk. "Steve said you knew your way around an engine. Didn't think that branched out to robotics."

"He said that?" Tony asked, then shook his head. "Never mind, it's not important. Really, cars and robots are the same thing. Just machines, wiring and coding."

The man nodded and leaned against a table scattered with tools and small projects. "And what would you do to get it going?"

Tony looked at the man, and then at the machine next to him. "May I?"

"Yeah." The man held out his hands. "By all means."

Tony nodded and shoved his face closer to the interworkings of the hand. He poked around and pulled the cover off the base. "It looks like it could use a little work, for sure."

The man's smirk was back as he crossed his arms. "I'll tell you what kid, you fix that machine and I'll figure out what I can do about your sleeping arrangements."

Tony's brow furrowed. "What do you know about my sleeping arrangements?"

"I know a lot, kid. One of those things would be how to use the Internet and get into CPS's database." The man pushed off of the table and stood back up, standing only a few inches taller than Tony. "And it's not hard to see when a kid's been thrown to the side a lot."

Tony glared at the man. "That's none of your business." 

"Four homes this year alone. Seven in the past two years, even more before that." The man tusked his tong. "Sounds like you've been passed from one bad situation to another."

Tony could feel as his nails dug into his hands in his balled fists.

"And yet, your grades, no matter what school you went to, always stayed at a compleat even 75 percent in every class you had. Which is statistically impossible. Unless you did that intentionally." The man took in a large breath and handed a folder of papers that had been sitting on the table to Tony. "You don't fool me, kid. You get that thing working, and you won't have to face C's for the rest of your life. Especially when you could pass every college level test by the time you were in third grade."

Tony took the file and glanced through it. It was a pile of blueprints with a few papers of code. "I still don't see how any of that was something you had to know."

The man lifted his brow with a smirk. "I like to know who's staying in my house."

Tony rolled his eyes and looked back at the schematics. "It's a building bot?"

"Not just a building bot. It's not designed to do conniver work. It's supposed to help with new inventions." 

A few of the pages weren't there, code and designs missing. "Where's the rest?"

Hank raised and eye brow with an amused look. "That is what you're here for." He walked towards the door, hands in his pockets.

Tony took in an aggravated breath. "Hey! I never got your name!" He yelled at his back.

"It's at the top of the papers." The man said, waving his hand and walking out the door.

Tony glanced down and looked at a small insignia at the top of the papers that read Rogers Industries. He had to keep his mouth from falling open. He just talked to Howard Rogers, owner of Rogers industries and inventor extrodinar. 

How he hadn't be able to recognize the man was beyond him. He'd had so many posters and magazine covers and shit that he thought he had Howard's face engraved into his head. But his first meeting with the man had proven otherwise.

He let out an annoyed groan and let his head fall to the metal table. "Stupid. Dumb ass. Ignorant. Brain." Each word brought a thunk as he hit his head on the table. A laugh from across the room stopped him.

"I see you met the old man." Steve smiled.

"Why didn't you tell me you're the son of Howard-freaking-Rodgers!" Tony asked, more annoyed than mad.

"Figured you could put it together." Steve shrugged. "How you feeling?"

Tony let out a sigh and sat the folder on the work table. "Fine I guess. You hear what he told me?"

Steve nodded with a smile, walking closer to the boy and leaning against one of the tables that formed a sharp U shape. "Yeah, but I think you can do it."

Tony rolled his eyes and looked over the tables. "Where's my backpack?"

Steve looked at the boy questionably. "Your backpack?"

"Yes, my backpack. The thing that carried everything I own." Tony started to freak out at the though of losing his possessions.

"Calm down man, I think it's up stairs." Steve said, arms uncrossed and hands held up in front of him. "Give me a sec, I'll be right back."

Tony didn't like the sound of that, but let Steve leave. A few minutes later, he came back with the well worn black bag in tow. "This it?"

Tony nodded his head as the bag was lifted and placed on the table. He searched through it and found his small rollup pouch of tools. "Yeah, thank you."

"What do you have in there? It weighs a ton." Steve took his place at the table once more to Tony's right.

"Parts, mostly." Tony unrolled the tools to reveal a small collection on miss-matched pliers and wire cutters and many other things that Steve couldn't name. "Just stuff I think I can use."

Steve nodded as the kid picked up a screw driver and wiped it on his pants. "Sounds useful." Tony nodded and set into the paper work, flipping through each page and paying close attention to each one. After a while of no conversation, Steve shook his head and said, "Alright, I'm gonna get out of here. Don't stay down here all day."

Tony waved his hand, face still locked on the work as Steve walked out. He spliced a wire to get a sauder gun warmed up and moved around to find a rotating chair. There were so many tools and each drawer he opened revealed something new that Tony had to use.


	4. Chapter 4

Before he knew it, the tables were covered in tools and the robot was taken compleatly apart. He had found an old computer and reprogrammed it, now blaring ACDC on YouTube to the point where he couldn't hear as the door opened behind him.

Howard placed a hand on Tony's shoulder after several attempts to gain his attention with his voice. Tony jumped and was a step away from whiplash from how quickly his head spun around.

The boy moved to turn the music down and gave a nervous smiled at the man in front of him. "Heeeey, Mr. Rogers." He sat the arm part he was working on on the table and tried to straighten up his mess a bit.

"What do you have going on here?" Howard asked, looking around the room. His face was even, not giving Tony any key of how he should respond.

"Oh, uh, well..." Tony looked around as he straighten up, then picked up the arm. "Some of the problems I noticed started in the base compartment and it just kind of..."

"Fixing it from the screws up." Howard nodded his approval. "Sounds good. But, I haven't seen you all day."

Tony's brow knitted. "All day?"

Howard pointed at a clock on the wall, arms pointed to 9:30. "I left at about eleven. Haven't seen you since. It's about time we gets some food in your stomach and sleep for your brain."

Tony was amazed. It hadn't even seemed like more than a few hours. "But I'm not finished."

Howard smiled lightly before putting a hand on his shoulder and patting a few times. "Few more minutes and then it's time to put it down."

"Promise." Tony nodded, waiting until the man left to get back into work. He was able to get the three joins of the arm back on, stringing the wires between the joins and making sure they were oiled as the door opened and Steve walked in.

"Hey, I thought my dad came down here to get you an hour ago." He walked up to see the work Tony had done on the robot. "It looks good."

"Thanks, it only needs a little more work and then I'll be finished." Tony wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and put the screw driver down.

"No, you're going to bed. You're gonna work yourself sick like this." Steve took the tools out of Tony's hands and sat them down on the table. "Come on."

"But-"

"No, come on." Steve pulled boy off the chair and to the door. "You haven't eaten all day, have you?"

"No, but--" Tony started once more. He wanted to finish the robot.

"I told you no buts. Gotta eat, man." Steve pushed a button in the elevator that Tony hadn't realized was on the other side of the door, and they were pulled up to a new level. A beep later and the doors opened to reveal a well decorated living room. Steve dragged him into the room and through a large arch were a kitchen was open.

"What do you want?" Steve asked, pulling a cup from the cabinet and filling it with water from the fridge.

Tony shrugged. "I don't know. Pizza is always good."

"Pizza it is, then." Steve smiled. "Hey, Jai, can I get a pizza please?"

Something beeped as a mechanical voice came on. "Yes sir."

Tony looks up with startled eyes. "What the hell was that."

"Language." Steve warned. "That's our kitchen mate. He'll make you food and stuff. Doesn't do much else."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Kind of cool."

"Yeah, my dad made him." Steve placed the cup in front of Tony and waiting for a beep. When a machine finally did go off, the man turned around and pulled a tray out of the oven. "Here you go. It's just cheese."

"Oh, that's cool." Tony reached for a slice and shoved it in his mouth, only then realizing how hungry he was.

Steve rolled his eyes and grabbed some napkins before claiming a slice for himself. "So, where are your actually from?"

"Everywhere. I've lived all over this part of California." He swallowed his first slice and grabbed for his second. "But I was born in New York."

"Cool. Cool."

The rest of the meal continued without conversation as they devoured the pizza and made way to the top floor of the house. Tony almost couldn't wrap his mind around the house's size. But that was only because he was riding on a lack of sleep and a large amount of food, making him very tired.

"You can use this room." Steve said, pointing to the side and opening the door. Tony walked in and flopped right down on the bed. "See you in the morning."

Tony moaned an agreement, already drifting as the door closed behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Tony woke up slowly. His chest didn't hurt nearly as much as the night before and he felt like a completely different person. ‘A proper night's sleep on a decent bed has that effect,’ he thought.

He threw the blankets to the side of the bed, wondering how they had gotten on top of him. All he remembered was plopping down. But those thoughts faded away as the smell of bacon hit his nose.

Tony followed the smell all the way down a flight of spiral stairs and into the kitchen. Steve's body stood over the stove, spatula in hand as he flipped the last pieces of bacon and sat them on a plate. He wore a gray shirt that left little to the imagination as to what was under it, and a pair of dark blue jeans. He looked better in regular clothes than the suit he wore last night.

He turned around as Tony walked in, laughing. "What is it with you tech guys and the smell of bacon?"

Tony's brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"You and my dad. The only way to get you out of your own head is the smell of cooking food!" He laughed again, shaking his head as he went into the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs. "How do you like your eggs?"

Tony rolled his eyes and took a seat at the table. True as the statement was, he wasn't about to admit it. "Just however. I'm not picky."

Steve let out a sigh and sat the carton down. "I know you don't care, but how would you prefer them?"

"Scrambled, I guess." Tony said. It didn't really matter. He watched as Steve nodded and cracked a few eggs into a bowl, poking the yolks with his fork before spinning it around. He poured the mix into the pan, instantly filling the room with popping and sizzling. "How'd you learn to cook? Figure a guy as rich as your dad would have enough money to hire someone to do it."

Steve let out a sigh. "Yeah, my dad is rich. That doesn't change the fact that things like cooking and cleaning and driving aren't basic human things that every person should know how to do."

"Sorry man, didn't mean to hit a chord." Tony said. He could sense the man's discomfort and aggravation. The kind that comes from being asked the same question one too many times.

"It's fine." Steve let out a breath and then turned around with a smile. "So, what's your story?"

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, watching as the man finished the eggs and plated them, throwing on a few slices of bacon with it before handing it to Tony.

"I mean, like, how’d you end up here? Dad said you're some kind of super smart kid but stay under the radar." Steve said, starting eggs for himself. 

Tony shrugged and took a bite of the food. It was actually really good. "Most people don't take kindly to someone half their age being smarter than them. Found out it was easier to be average and not deal with it."

"But from what my dad says, you've got quite a head on your shoulders." Steve said. He had finished his eggs and turned the stove off, joining Tony at the table.

"Your dad said that about me?" Tony asked, amazed. Howard Rogers said he was smart! He could have died right then and would have no regrets.

Steve laughed. "Yeah, last night. After he'd talked to you about that robot."

"Speaking of which, you should hurry and eat so you can get down there." Howard said as he walked in, heading straight for the coffee pot.

"Let him get some food, dad, jeez. Not everyone can live off coffee." Steve joked. 

Howard stared at his son through a squint. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Steve rolled his eyes with a smile. "That's because it is. At least grab some of the bacon if you're not going to let me make you eggs."

Howard sighed, the creases in his face from squinting fading as he snatched up the remaining bacon and made way back out of the kitchen.

"I can't tell who the father is sometimes." Steve joked.

"For nineteen, you sure don't think much of the man that put a roof over your head!" Howard shouted from the hall, words muffled by what Tony was sure was bacon.

"For fifty, you sure don't take care of yourself well." Steve shouted back.

An audible grunt came after the words, along with the sound of a shutting door.

Steve shook his head and smiled at Tony. "You going to eat at any point?"

Tony looked down at his plate that he'd forgotten in the events that unfolded in front of him. "Sorry, yes. That was just very... Odd."

"How so?" Steve asked, eyebrows cocked.

"If I had talked to any adult like that, I'D be in the market for a new arm because my own would have be ripped off to beat me with." Tony said, shoving a large bite into his mouth.

"That's was a vivid description." Steve laughed.

Tony shrugged and smiled. "It's kind of cool that you and your dad are so close."

"I wouldn't say close, but we get along pretty well." Steve said. "We don't really talk much as he's always absorbed in something. I have no idea what he's saying half the time. All he talks about work."

"But you guys look like you're okay." Tony said.

"Yeah, guess that's a good thing." 

They finished the rest of their meal in silence, eating quickly until everything was gone.

Tony took his plate to the sink and rinsed it off before following Howard's lead and heading down the workshop. He was surprised when the man wasn't there, but took a seat between the U shaped tables all the same and started working once more.


	6. Chapter 6

When Steve walked down several hours later, Tony's thrown together desktop was blasting Rush and the robot looked almost finished.

"You've gotten a lot done." Steve said.

Tony jumped, head whipping around to face the voice. "Steve! Man, you've got to stop doing that!" He reached over and turned the music down in the computer.

Steve laughed and leaned back against one of the tables. "Sorry, didn't mean to spook you. It looks good, though."

"It doesn't matter what it looks like so long as it works." Tony said, lifting the arm up and dropping it back on the table a second later. The metal arm thumped down loudly. "It's a little heavy, though."

Steve chuckled and lifted the arm off the table. "Where do you need it?"

Tony glared at him, but pointed at the large base. "Just put it in the middle and give me a sec."

Nodding, Steve moved the arm and placed the small square metal part in the matching hole and held it there as Tony turned around to grab a tool.

When he had what he needed, Tony moved off the chair and kneeled down on the floor, hands working around the machine. "So, why are you down here?"

"It IS my house." Steve laughed. Tony rolled his eyes as he brought the tool to the base, securing the arm. "Was going to see if you were hungry."

"We JUST ate!" Tony announced, his voice stressing the middle word as he moved his shoulders.

"Five hours ago!" Steve let out a half laugh, sure that the kid wasn't joking but still wanting to sound light hearted. 

Tony's brow crinkled in the middle as he thought. "No way." He stood up to face the much taller man, aware of how close he was standing now, but not wanting to take a step back.

Steve reached around Tony's shoulders, their faces dangerously close, before he pulled back and put something in between their bodies. It was a rectangle with the word ROGERS written across the top in thin silver letters, with a black screen underneath that glowed with green lights, reading 12:14pm. 

"I've been here that long?" He asked, taking the clock in his hands to make sure it wasn't lying. 

"Yup." Steve took the clock back, walking around Tony this time as he sat it back in the desk. "So, food?"

"I guess I better." Tony sighed, setting down the tools and rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't believe it's been five hours."

Steve shook his head with a smile. "I can't believe it's only been five hours. Dad usually ends up zoning out for days. It's kind of crazy."

"Howard Rogers? No way." Tony said, waving his hand in the air to dismiss the thought.

"Yes way." Steve laughed. "He will stay down in his workshop for days if Peggy or I don't go and get him."

Tony rolled his eyes and stood, gesturing for Steve to lead the way. "Who's Peggy?"

They stepped into the elevator, hitting a button for the second floor where the kitchen was. "Dad's assistant. Really, she's the one that runs the company. I'm sure you'll meet her soon."

They stepped off and into the large living room that flowed right into the kitchen. The whole house seemed like a stream, one room leading right into another with very few doors or sharp corners. Even in the places you didn't think it would matter, like the pantry that Steve was currently raiding for chips. It was round, with a lazy-Suzan type of system that spun around.

"What kind of sandwich do you want?" Steve asked, emerging from the oblong room with a bag of Lays and a bottle of new mustard.

"Uh, turkey, I guess." Tony moved to the fridge, pushing some of the buttons to see what they did.

"Hello." A mechanical voice ran out, making Tony jump ten feet into the air.

"What the hell was that?" Tony asked, eyes wild as he glanced between the button he'd just pushed and the tall man standing behind him.

"Afternoon, Jai." Steve smiled. 

"Good afternoon, sir." The AI responded. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, thank you. Tony was just messing with the buttons on the fridge." Steve smiled as Tony flashed bright red in embarrassment. He hadn't known Steve was looking.

"Good day, sir." An audible whirring could be heard, and then the voice was gone.

"So that's what that button does." Steve laughed, pulling plates out of the cabinet and setting them on the counter. 

Tony shuffled over the island, taking a seat in one of the taller stools and laying his head on his crossed arms, waiting for his face to calm down. He only looked up as a plate was sat in front of him, pushing lightly into his forearm. "Thanks," he moaned, moving so that he was still slumped over, but could eat at the same time.

"Dude, its fine. It's not like you broke him." Steve said, nudging the smaller man’s shoulders lightly.

"You should make him do more than kitchen work." Tony said under his breath, an idea popping in his head. He took a large bite of his sandwich and a handful of chips before running out of the kitchen.

"Hey, Tony! You gotta eat!" Steve called after him, the sound of his chair moving echoing off the round walls and Tony hopped into the elevator.

"I did, but I just got a really good idea." He pushed the button to head back to the shiny room filled with an inhuman amount of tools.

Steve sighed, rolling his eyes as he took his seat back at the island. "So much for 'taking it easy.'" He puffed.


	7. Chapter 7

Howard stepped into the upper workshop where he had set the Stark boy up. The kid was amazing, better than the CEO himself. But they still had a deal, and he hadn't checked on the boy all day.

When he looked around, he expected to find the boy hunched over the robot once more, but wasn't there. Instead, he found the brunet sitting in the office chair as he fiddled with a computer Howard didn't remember having.

"Stark?" Howard questioned, running a hand through his whiskers at the boy turned around. "How's the project going?"

Tony glanced over at the 'bot that currently sat at his side, holding a cup. "Great."

Howard walked over to it and Tony sat, waiting to hear what the man thought as he poked his way around the metal arm.

"It's got a different design." Was his only comment.

Tony nodded, standing up as he said, "Yeah, I added a few things. You see this?" He pointed to the main support in the second joint. "That's a lighter metal, to help him carry more. And most of the programming you had for it didn't really follow what you told me it was for, so I scrapped it and started new."

Howard stared at the boy as he carried on, saying things that he himself hadn't even thought about. 

"But my favorite thing," he said after he had explained all of the mechanical things, "is this. Dummy, cup, please."

The arm started moving, holding out the coffee mug held within his three claws to Tony. When he moved a few feet left and a good yard back, he asked again. Sure enough, the 'bot followed, holding the mug a few inches away from Tony's hand.

Tony smiled brightly, taking the cup and setting it on the table behind him.

"Dummy?" Howard asked. He had many other questions, but for now, he stuck with that one.

"Yeah, cause he's stupid sometimes, too. You should see what happened when I gave him a fire extinguisher." Tony shivered at the thought. He'd be washing foam of his lower half for months.

Howard laughed, now noticing a white film of something covering most of the boy's loose fitting jeans and the bottom of his oversized shirt. "I have to make a phone call."

Tony's brown crunched I the middle, but he nodded, glancing over Howard's shoulder as the elevator opened once more to deposit a smiling, muscular man into the room.

"Steve? What are you doing?" Tony was asking more about the goofy grin plastered to his face, but also just in general. He was dressed in another suit, making Tony whine lightly about the loss of his great view.

"Just had to finish something real quick. Was coming to see if you guys wanted to come to dinner." He glance over at his father as the man spoke on the phone. Howard held up a finger, but nodded yes.

Steve smiled and glanced back at Tony. "I guess that sounds okay."

"Awesome, it's a date then." Steve grinned, causing Tony to blush.

"Better make it a celebratory dinner." Howard said, sliding his phone back into his pocket. "And Peggy will be joining us."

Tony looked at Howard curiously, but when the man didn't answer, he turned back to the computer. "Oh yeah, one other thing."

He ran back to the computer and typed a few things into the key board, before turning back to the father and son pair with a large smile.

"Watch this." He cleared his throat and stood a little taller. "Jarvis, status update."

A voice with a slight British accent came through the speakers with a, "All systems steady, sir. Kitchen automation is a go. Sound system availability is one-hundred percent. Camera accessed and monitoring programs are up and fully functioning."

"Is that Jai?" Howard asked, looking towards the ceiling.

"Uh, kind of." Tony said, hands wringing each other out. "I took Jai's basic programming and added to it. He does a lot more now."

"What's its name, again?" Howard asked.

"Jarvis. Short for Just a Rather Very Intelligent System." Tony clicked a few more times on the key board, saying, "He has potential to do a lot of other things, but that was all I got to today."

Howard nodded with a hint of a smile. "You did good, kid."

"Yeah, can we go get something to eat now?" Steve said. He was kind of impressed too. But, if his nineteen years on this planet had taught him anything, it was that Howard Rogers was a man of few words when it came to something he was impressed by.

"Yeah, just give me a sec." Tony typed more on the keyboard, tinting it off and following as the other two men walked to the elevator. 

Steve placed an arm around Tony's shoulders, shaking him with a small smile. Tony tried to keep his heart beat steady, and smiled back.


	8. Chapter 8

It wasn't until they arrived at the very fact restaurant that Tony realized he was still wearing his torn jeans and oversized shirt, both of which were covered in fire extinguisher foam. Not to mention the fact that he hadn't had a shower in two days.

But no one seemed to point it out as he walked behind Howard and next to Steve into the large restaurant. They took their seats at a four person table separate from most of the main floor. The waitress was there within seconds, asking them what they would like to drink.

"I think we'll start with water and work our way to something stronger." Howard smiled.

The waitress nodded and went to retrieve the water glasses.

It was a few moments, and after they had gotten their water, when a woman in a pencil skirt sashayed into the restaurant. She spotted their table right away, and walked right over, taking the empty seat.

"Evening, gentlemen." She smiled, setting her silver wear onto a plate and tucking the napkin under the table on her lap. She seemed a little old fashioned in her mannerisms, the way she sat lily she had three heavy books on her heads the way she's lock eyes with everyone right away without any hesitation.

Tony only realized he was slumped in his seat as her blue eyes locked onto him, causing him to become very conscious of every move he made.

"I suppose you are the young man I've heard so much about?" She asked.

Tony nodded, sitting up in his chair and glancing at Steve for help. What the hell was he supposed to say?

"He's got quite a head on his shoulders, and I think he'll make a great employee at Rogers Industries." Howard said, words rolling off his lips and hitting Tony like a frying pan to the face.

"Say what?" He asked loudly, only a step away for a yell.

Peggy pulled a file out of a very expensive looking bag and sat it on the table. "Mr. Roggers has asked me to write up a contract. You are welcome to have a lawyer look over it if you would like."

She held the file out now, grinning just a small amount as Tony leaned forward to grab it. The brunet thought better of saying that he didn't exactly have a lawyer. Or anything even close to one. Instead, he gave a weak, "Thanks."

Peggy nodded and turned to Howard, carrying a light conversation as Tony looked at the folder in his hands.

"You don't have to decide right away." Steve said, lightly shocking Tony out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"The job, you don't have to decide right now." Steve repeated, tapping on the file with his forefinger for effect. "Just, take time to think about it. You can change things if you want. It's all up to you."

Tony nodded and opened the folder to start reading the basics of the contract. He was several pages in when he felt his heart skip a beat. 

"Senty-five-thousand dollars a year?" He coughed, more loudly than he meant to and drawing eyes to their table. Tony ducked his head a bit, looking over to Steve.

Howard glanced over a him, nodding. "That's the average level five pay grade, yes. A perfectly normal amout for a main Research and Development employee."

Tony coughed, pounding on his chest, and looking at Steve with wild eyes. Every time he thought about how much money the man's family made, his stomach wanted to do a flip and empty its contents into the nearest trash can.

The amount of money was crazy for any person, but for a seventeen-year-old that had never had anything, it seemed unreal. He had to take in several deep deaths before the amount of zeros in the number sank in, only then realizing there was a hand on his back. 

He looked up to see Steve resting his head on one arm propped up on he table, the other stretched behind Tony's chair. Tony shivered lightly, taking a sip of water from one of the glass cups in front of him and tried to follow along to the conversation.

Most of the words went right over his head as he shoot the file looks every few minutes, wondering if the words were true. If any of this was true. Tony looked up at Howard, watching as the man's mouth moved. He seemed real enough, dressed in a suit with navy blue suspenders and cobalt blue slack with a matching jacket that currently hung on a rack a few feet away.

Steve had whispered something at him as he was focussed on Howard, but Tony hadn't heard. "What?"

"I asked if you were okay. You look a little shell-shocked." Steve said, a line forming in his forehead between his eyebrows.

"Oh, uh," Tony glanced back at Howard, cleared his throat, then back at Steve. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry."

"All good man." Steve said. "Just let me know if you need anything."

Tony nodded, a feeling like a golf ball had been shoved down his throat a superglued there.

The rest of dinner passed with very little conversation from Tony. He chimed in when he could between bites of the best food he'd ever had in his life, but otherwise stay silent. Peggy and Howard were going on about work things, Steve dipping in every now-and-then with a comment.

When they got up to leave, Tony noticed Steve's left arm move from behind his chair, leaving a cold spot where his hand had been in constant contact with his back. He furrowed his brows, heart jumping up a pace as he realized what Steve had been trying to do.

Grounding someone wasn't really a hard thing to do. But being able to see when someone needed to be grounded and then doing it discreetly, that was a whole different ball park. And Steve had managed to do it without Tony even noticing.

They made their way out of the restaurant, Tony noticing flashing outside and pulling him out of his thoughts. 

"Is it raining?" Tony asked, realizing then the flashes were too quick to have been a natural event.

"No, but it's going to be one hell of a storm." Howard stemmed, looking towards two very tall, very buff men Tony hadn't noticed before. "Take the sides, let's get through this without too much damage."

The men both nodded, walking to exit first with Howard tailing behind.

Tony glanced over to Steve with wild eyes. "What the hell is this?"

Steve let out a breath, placing both hands on Tony's shoulders and pushing him gently toward the door, only a few inches behind Howard. "The media must have found out we were here. With the new deal my dad is trying to put together with the government, everyone wants a quote."

Tony looked on with awe as the made there way into the crazy people, cameras and microphones being shoved into his face.

"Mr. Rogers, what is your new plan for Rogers Industries?"  
"Mr. Rogers, how do you respond to being called the down fall of your company?"  
"Me Rogers, what is your view on action taken in nuclear war?"

Tony could feel the anger rolling off the man, and lost track of his footing as he tried to back up. Steve was behind him, catching the brunet before he had a chance to fall down completely. They were cut off from Howard, being swarmed by reporters as they attacked Steve with questions.

Tony scrambled to his feet, but everywhere he looked, he was blinded by classes from cameras. Steve pulled him up, pushing through people until one yelled out, "Steve, what's your response to the accusations that your father's ruining your family name?"

Eyes wide, Tony saw Steve's face harden. The man's muscular hand was fisted at his side, the other currently crushing Tony's color bone. Steve's lips were little more than a tight line on his face and his nostrils flared with every breath.

"Howard Rogers is an amazing man," Tony said, hardly able to believe how steady his voice was, completely contrary to how his knees were shaking under his jeans. "And anyone who says other wise needs to put a diaper on their face, because all they're spurting is shit and I'm sick of it getting everywhere."

The ramble of reporters paused for a second, the clicks of pictures fading into the night. Tony used that second to pull Steve closer to Howard, the car screeching around the corner as the driver pulled the car right in front of the CEO. The two large guards pushed Howard into the car, quickly following him with Tony and Steve. 

The driver peeled off before they even had their seat belts on, driving faster than needed to make it back to the house.

Tony looked over at Steve, who still seemed to be ragging. He sat stiffly in his seat, fist still balled on his lap as he glared out the window. Tony kind of felt bad for the glass, having been on the recovering end of a look like that many times for his antics.

"Steve," Tony said lightly, poking his knee and repeating it when the blond didn't respond.

Steve snapped away from the window to look at his knee and the small boney finger digging into his knee cap. When he looked at Tony, he could see the concern creased into his face as his eyebrows furrowed.

"You okay?" Tony asked, more mouthing it than saying it.

Steve took in a deep breath, glancing over at his father who seemed twenty years older in the gloom of the passing street lights. He nodded his head yes, moving his chin lightly towards Howard.

They sat I silence with nothing more than the steady murr of tires on pavement before Tony spoke up.

"What were those people talking about?" He asked, more as a general question than targeting any one person.

Steve let out a sigh and adjusted himself in his seat. "People are unhappy with the current Rogers Labs power supplies."

"Unhappy, you make it sound like they're throwing a hissy fit." Howard scoffed, suddenly out of his head and back in the car.

"That's pretty much what it is, dad." Steve said, voice mocking his father's. "There is nothing wrong with using nuclear power."

"Except there is," Howard replied. "Have you seen what happens. Two of our largest plants run on the power plant, but the plants are falling apart and need repair. Which would be no big deal, if it didn't require draining all of the nuclear waste first."

"And there's no place to put it." Tony finished.

"The only other way to fix the power plant is but shutting down the two Rogers Lab plants for six months." Steve said.

"Which would go us tens of millions of dollars per plant." Howard finished with a sigh. He leaned back onto the seat again, face squeezed in thought. "But the nuclear plant needs to be fixed soon or it will result in a whole different problem."

Tony nodded, understand the problem. "Why not have a different power source, then. Something the two plants can use until you fix the nuclear problem."

"Where are we going to find something that can power two very, very large electronic factories for that long?" Howard sighed. He shifted once more as the car stopped, the medium sized man with slicked back black hair running around to open the door. When he did, Howard stepped out and padded his way inside, leaving Tony and Steve alone once more as they walked into the house.


	9. Chapter 9

When they made it into the house, they were greeted by a tall, muscular man with shoulder length black hair smiling at Steve.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Steve said, smiling and wrapping an arm around the man in a light hug. He pulled back with a look at the man who seemed to be a little rough around the edges.

"Was in town, needed to ask a favor." The man's dark eyes glanced over at Tony with a hint of curiosity. "Who's this?"

"Oh," Steve smiled, walking back towards Tony and pushing him a few steps closer to the man. "Bucky, this is Tony; Tony, Bucky." 

"Bucky?" Tony questioned, holding out his hand.

"Short for James Barnes." He smiled, taking the hand and shaking it. "What's up, man?"

"Tony is going to start working for my dad here soon." Steve said, leading the way up a set of flowing stairs into the main living area.

"Oh, really?" Bucky asked, looking Tony up and down once more with a cocked eyebrow. The skinny little kid didn't look like much, but he must have something good upstairs for Howard to even look at him.

"Yeah, they had some deal over a robot downstairs. To be honest, I didn't understand it, but it seems to have worked." Steve glanced at him with a soft smile before turning back to flip on the couch, his suit jacket abandoned on the ottoman.

"So, what's up man?" 

Tony and Bucky followed, each taking spots on the sofa. Bucky seemed to mold right into the couch like he'd done it a thousand times. Tony, on the other hand, sat straight as a board, watching the events unfold.

"Seems like that job at that store isn't going to work out like I'd planed." Bucky said, glancing down and rubbing the back of his neck with his right arm.

Steve let out a sigh. "Bucky man, what did you do this time?"

"It wasn't me!" Bucky said, sitting up a little with his hand out stretched in front of him. "The managers have no respect for me! They kept me on Cashier all day and didn't even give me a seat, then, when I asked if I could do something--anything--else, they said, 'a cripple shouldn't be doing anything but keeping his mouth shut.' So I yelled at him to shut his mouth."

Tony's eyes went wide in surprise. Cripple? Didn't he walk in here?

"That's hardly anything to fire you over." Steve said, exasperated. "You should have told the board of Employees, or have gotten me to go down there and knock some sense into them!"

"Well, that's just it. I didn't get fired for the comment." Bucky said, trying to calm his friend as best he could. He knew Steve wouldn't like the fact that he gotten fired. Again. "I got fired for the right uppercut to his jaw."

Steve rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Tony could almost hear him screaming silently. "Bucky..."

"Look, it's fine. I'll get a job doing something else. My arm works well enough to find something more my taste. Like law mowing, or furniture moving. Something physical." Bucky said, standing up and reaching out to something on the coffee table. 

Tony watched in awe as the flesh colored robotics, earlier hidden by well placed sleeves, wrapped around a cup and turned it to the side. "Wow."

Bucky looked over at the boy with a sly smile playing at the side of his lips. "Cool, huh?"

Steve glared at him. "Bucky, put the cup down." Bucky did as he was told, dropping the cup back into the solid wood table with a thunk. "You know you can't be doing all of that stuff. The job at the store was supposed to be something easy to put some money in your pocket."

Bucky shrugged. "I can't do 'easy,' Steve. It's usually brain-nulling."

"Then come back to school. You were only a few credits away from finishing your second year." Steve said as Bucky plopped back down on the couch.

"To do what, sit in an office and do other boring jobs? No thanks." Buck leaned his head back and Tony got the feeling they'd had this conversation many times before.

After a few minutes of silence, Steve spoke up. "So what's this favor you need?"

Buck lifted his head and sighed. "A place to sleep for a few nights? Just until I can line up another job."

Steve let out another sigh, glancing at Tony. It was just a side glance, one of those, "how much shit can we go through in one day" kind of looks. But it was light hearted, like a joke. Tony smiled back. It's not like he really had an opinion on the subject. This wasn't his house, and he, himself, was doing exactly was Bucky probably would. Well, except for the job thing.

"Alright, fine. But you're going to school with us." Steve said, getting up to walk to the kitchen.

Bucky let out a groan, and Tony's brow crunched in sudden confusion. 

"School?" Tony got up and chased after the man. "Steve, what's this about school?"

"It's part of the contract that Peggy gave you. Dad worked it in. While you're working part time, you have to go to school. He doesn't care what for, but you need at least one degree in something."

"I can't afford college! And I haven't even graduated high school!" Tony said, following Steve back out into the living room as the man carried a few cans of soda. 

"Rogers's Industries has given you a full scholarship." Steve said, sitting back down and handing a can over to Bucky, who happily took it. "And you can test to graduate. It's not hard. Especially for someone like you."

He held out a soda to Tony, wiggling it slightly.

"So you all have it all planed out." Tony said. For some reason, that really pissed him off.

"No, that's just one of many options for you. But it's the best one." Steve held the soda a little closer to Tony's face. "But, it's been a long night and I feel like watching an very boring movie and not thinking for a bit. You in?"

Tony huffed, but snatched the soda all the same and plopped down as Steve turned on some movie with a yellow brick road.

They watched in in silence mostly, a few comments scattered about, but otherwise, it was quiet. What they hadn't been expecting, was to all pass out on the couch, Tony's head leaning against Steve's shoulder as the blond leaned against the arm of the couch, legs propped on the ottoman. Bucky's head was slunked back, causing him to snore, with his feet next to Steve's.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Bucky a good guy or bad guy--you decide!!! XD  
> On a different note, I realized Tony literally has nothing to wear, so we get to see them bond over some clothes shopping. (I hate physically doing it, but writing about it is always fun.)  
> Tiny also needs a shower but I was way too lazy to go that in-depth. Just assume he had one at some point, 'kay? Great.
> 
> Enjoy, my lovelies!

"Get up!" Tony heard someone yell, causing him to jolt out of bed, nearly tripping on the sheets as he tried to untangle himself. He hit the floor with a hard thud, groaning as pain shot through his still-bruised chest.

"Fuck!" He yelled, grabbing his chest as he turned onto his back. The dark haired guy from before stood over him with a mildly concerned--but mostly amused--face. He reached a hand out, and as much as Tony wanted to smack it away, he took the help getting up.

"Don't let Steve catch you with that mouth." He said, ignoring as Tony glared at him. "Come on. Howard wants to see you."

That knocked the frustration right out of Tony. If Howard wanted to see Tony, it must have been something big.

He followed behind Bucky, having to jog to keep up with the dark-haired man's much larger stride. It took a second for Tony to realize that he wasn't going towards the elevator, and instead headed for a large flight of stairs Tony had somehow missed the past few days.

It took Bucky a second to find Howard, but eventually did, and Tony was pleased. He wasn't really sure how he felt about the large man that seemed few on words for anyone but Steve.

"Howard," Bucky nodded as he walked in, Tony trailing behind like a lost duckling.

Howard looked up from his large wooden desk that was almost out of place with all of the modern furniture scattered through the house. The dark, bulky, thick wood of the desk stood out like a bad hair cut.

He smiled at Tony, offering him a seat in front of the desk. Tony took it, feeling more and more like he'd been called to the principle's office. The worst part was that he didn't even know what he'd done wrong.

"How's your heart doing?" He asked, flipping through a few papers before setting them aside and looking up, hands folding one over the other.

"It's okay." Tony said with a shrug. Then, in a last-stich effort not to get his ass handed to him, added a, "Sir."

Howard laughed. "No need to be so formal. But, I would like to know your thoughts about the position I offered you yesterday."

Tony racked his brain for a moment before he remember. Duh. How could he forget the plan that pretty much set him up for life? 

"It's a very generous offer," Tony started.

"But?"

Tiny sighed. "But I don't think I'd do well at whatever school you have lined up for me. I am happy with my C's."

Howard raised an eyebrow, seeing through all of Tony's bull. Tony could just tell the man knew he was lying though his teeth. Tony hated C's. He hated school. And a challenge would be so nice for once. Ever since his mom had died, Tony had lost all purpose for living.

Howard's deal with the robot was the first thing that made him want to do something in a long time. 

Howard opened his laptop, typing for a moment, looking up as he turned the laptop around. The screen was mostly white, but with a single line of text at the top. Under that were four choices, labeled with the first four letters of the alphabet. 

Howard stood, handing over the computers and it's mouse. "Take that, and then get back to me. After that, we'll see what we can do about your wardrobe."

Tony looked down to see the shirt he'd been wearing since the day he got here, still covered in fire extinguisher foam in some parts. He jeans even looked sadder that usual, starting to tear at the knees from the up and down while he was working. All because he hadn't thought to pack an extra set of clothes when walking away from the Shmits.

Tony sighed and looked at the screen. It was just a simple math quiz. Tony looked up as the door closed behind Howard, then set into the test.

To be honest, he hated standardized testing. There was no champagne in it. He'd get three questions right, then miss one. Guaranteeing a perfect seventy-five. This time, he said fuck it, and just answered every question. 

It only took him about fifteen minutes to sort through all two-hundred and fifty questions, ranging from English to science to math. The score came out to a ninety-eight-percent. How Tony's missed five questions was beyond him.

He looked up as Howard stepped back into the room, giving Tony a glance before setting his eyes on the screen. He raised his eyebrows, the looked at Tony. 

"How'd you miss five questions?"

"I may have been reading too fast, sir." Tony said, a little disappointed in himself. "If I was given the chance to take it again, I'm sure I'd get higher."

Howard clicked his tongue, moving the mouse to submit the quiz into some data base. "Congratulations, Mr. Stark, you just graduated high school."

Tony's jaw almost fell open. "What!"

"That was the California State graduation quiz, and you just passed it in fifteen minutes with the highest score yet." Howard said, twisting the computer back around as he took a seat at his desk.

"I'll have you enrolled at NYU by this evening at the latest. Classes start next Monday." Howard said, becoming observed into his computer.

Tony sat completely dumbfounded until Howard looked up and said, "You may leave, if you wish. I believe my son was looking forward to getting you some new clothes."

Tony nodded, standing up and walking out of the room before Howard's words truly sank in. Not about the school, that was going to take a while. But about Steve wanting to spend time with him. It sent a small shiver down his spine and to his toes.

Tony walked down the hall and towards the living room, the sound of the TV getting louder as he approached. Bucky waved a hand as Tony stepped in, then went back to watching some morning new show. Tony took a seat on the couch, the farthest he could get from the dark-haired man.

They didn't exchange words, but Tony was okay with that for once. All they really had in common was Steve, and even that was a bit stretched, considering Tony was just a stray that was let inside.

Steve came from the kitchen, covered in a layer of sweat that soaked though his clothes and holding a bottle of water. "Hey guys," he smiled, sort of breath.

Bucky waved again, and Tony just smiled.

"That test didn't take too long, did it?" Steve asked as he took a seat on the foot rest and caught his breath.

"No, not really." Tony said, trying not to let his eyes stare at Steve's form for too long.

"About twenty minutes from the time he walked in until he took a seat out here." Bucky said.

Steve reeled back in shock as he just started as Tony. "Really?"

Tony gave a minute nod in affirmation.

"Damn, I think you beat Howard's record, then." Steve laughed.

"No way," Tony laughed, looking over to Bucky.

Steve shrugged his shoulders with a smile on his face, letting his eyes fall on the TV. Three people were talking about the Rodger power plants, arguing over one another to find a solution that didn't exist. Tony really hated the news, but he didn't make a move to turn it off. Foster homes taught him that the TV was not in his control.

Bucky reached for the remote, flipping to a cooking show before they heard to much, and To y was grateful.

"Go take a shower," he told Steve, lightly kicking his thigh.

Steve moaned, but rolled over to stand up. "Showers are lame."

"You smell like the inside of an old gym shoe," Bucky said, kicking him again. "Go and wash it off before we leave."

"Leave?" Steve asked, eyes narrowing as he looked at Bucky.

Bucky sent Tony a look that only lasts for a second before he looked back at Steve.

"Oh! Right! You need clothes!" Steve laughed, officially standing up. "School starts in a few days and you'll need something a little more formal for certain events."

Tony knew Steve didn't mean that in a bad way, but he still felt slightly insulted. Still, he let it slide. This was Steve, after all. Tony doubted the guy would hurt a fly.

"I'm going to catch a shower and then we'll leave?" Steve asked. When no one moved to fight the notion, he said, "great! See you in twenty."

And then he was gone, up the stairs and followed by the sound of a running shower. Tony and Bucky watched at Racheal Ray went on about her home cooking around Thanksgiving and all of her relatives, her brown hair bouncing as she talked.

"He likes you." Bucky said, pulling Tony's attention away from the TV.

"Huh?"

"Steve. He likes you." Bucky never let his eyes leave the TV. "As a person. You don't seem like a gold-digger or a blogger looking for dirt, so I'm okay-ing this for now. But if you wrong him, I know places where people will never even think to look for you--much less find you."

Tony could feel the chill of the words easily, a shiver running down his spine. Even if Tony had zero plans to do anything like that, he still felt like he should be on his knees begging for forgiveness.

Bucky stood up, and Tony flinched as something thin and black was tossed his way. When it bounced off his arm and fell onto the floor, he saw it was only the remote.

"I'm going to grab something to eat before we leave. Steve takes forever to shop." Bucky said, walking out of the living room.

Tony let out a sigh, picking up the remote. This was going to be an interesting day.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments an kudos always appreciated but never expected!


End file.
